After a dramatic walkout three and a half years ago, the United States is returning to the UN Human Rights Council. On Thursday, new members of the UN’s top right body were elected by the United Nations General Assembly. In 2018, the US has quit the council after accusing it of hypocrisy and obsession with haranguing Israel under former president Donal Trump’s rule. However, under President Joe Biden, Washington will come face to face with a fortified China that took advantage of the US absence to flex its muscles. With 18 countries standing for 18 seats, the election is a non-conte
On Thursday, Japan’s powerful lower house of parliament was dissolved in a formal step for an October 31 general election that could decide the stay for Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in office. As soon as Kishida took office as prime minister, the election came in less than three weeks. These elections could determine the faith of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party if there is any major loss of seats. This has increased the chances of the leader to be dispatched through the “revolving door” that claimed six previous Japanese premiers between 2007-2012. Kishida is positive to achie
On Wednesday, the top diplomats from Israel and the United Arab Emirates are scheduled to hold three-way talks in Washington. The US President Joe Biden’s administration embraces and looks forward to expanding the normalization drive. Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan will separately meet US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, following a similar virtual event last month. As the first Arab country in decades to normalize relations with Israel, Donald Trump considered the Abraham Accords as a crowning achievement of his admin
On Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that his country’s weapon development is necessary for the face of hostile policies against the United States and a military buildup in South Korea. On Monday, in a speech at the “Defense Development Exhibition,” Kim said that Pyongyang was only increasing its military in self-defense and not preparing for war. This remark was made by the leader standing next to a huge variety of weapons that included the country’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM’s). Among these weapons was one of North Korea’s largest ICBM Hwasong-16 t
On Sunday, the latest round of discussion between India and Chinese military officials over the Ladakh impasse came to a halt. The Indian Army said that the Chinese stance was “not agreeable” and “could not provide any forward-looking proposals”. The Indian side made constructive suggestions to iron out the remaining area yet the Chinese side was not agreeable that did not result in the resolution of the remaining areas. However, both the nations have agreed to maintain communications and also agreed to maintain stability on borders. The Army official added, “It’s our expectati
Under the leadership of Japan’s new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, the United States does not expect its strengthening bilateral relationship with Japan to change direction. Former prime minister Shinzo Abe appointed Mr. Kishida as foreign minister, and he reappointed Mr. Nobuo Kishi as the defense minister and Mr. Toshimitsu Motegi as the foreign minister. According to the analysts, this signals continuity for the nation as they face a rising and significantly more assertive China. Senior North-East Asia associate at the Woodrow Wilson Centre’s Asia Programme Ms. Shihoko Goto said,”
The controversial law was passed in Singapore, in response to foreign interference in domestic affairs in a move that critics claim is designed to stifle dissent. This law will give authorities access to social media sites and internet providers and disclose users’ data or even block the content that they deem hostile. The government of Singapore said that they needed such a law to counter “serious threats”. On Monday, after 10 hours of heated parliamentary debate, this law was passed. It will give the government power to act against local proxies, those people who live in Singapore
On Monday, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed is expected to announce the formation of a new government. Abiy’s Prosperity Party won 410 of 436 parliamentary seats in a June vote, which was hailed by the premier as the country’s first free and fair election in decades. Berhanu Nega, the opposition leader, had filed more than 200 complaints with the country’s election board alleging irregularities. According to the data, he will lead Africa’s second-most populous country in 2018 after the country’s anti-government protests. Back in 2018, he was a less-known figure who went on to
As the coronavirus hit, the chip crisis turned dire. In spring 2020, when the demand for electronics was skyrocketing, manufacturers warned they were running short of semiconductors. Their key components are needed to make devices from smartphones to cars. The Tech companies had good reasons to postpone product launches as in the following months, the shortage forced factories to shut down assembly lines. The delivery of the computers was also late and took months. As the politicians from Washington DCto Berlin were worried about the fallout, they called up chip-producing nations and as
Japan’s ruling party voted for Fumio Kishida to replace PM Suga. PM Suga will be stepping down after serving only for a year since taking office last September. Fumio Kishida was Japan’s former Foreign Minister who won the governing party leadership election on Wednesday. He will be the next Prime Minister facing the imminent task of addressing a pandemic hit economy. He will also be responsible to ensure a strong alliance with Washington to counter increasing regional security risks. Mr. Kishida is the new leader of the Liberal Democratic Party, beats the popular Vaccination Minist